Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Internet Marketing in Nepal


The concept of professional web services & internet marketing is still rudimentary in Nepal. There are very few companies or freelancers who provide professional SEO (search engine optimization), and internet marketing services in Nepal. For many, SEO and internet marketing is still just a complimentary service.



The sectors that seem to understand the benefits and value of professional internet marketing and SEO in Nepal are the foreign dependent sectors, such as tourism & export business, where the competition can get tough at times due to direct competition from foreign markets. Within the domestic market, the internet, or business based on internet penetration is still negligible, and dominated by few news websites or entertainment portals. For most companies, online business still means a cheaply made website, which basically isn't any better than no website at all.



The level of online advertisements targeted at domestic market is even reflected by the advertisement awards in Nepal. These are dominated by paper ads, radio or TV ads and even street Billboard ads, but have no place for online marketing or internet advertising.



But with more and more people getting conscious of power of the internet and online business, competition is bound to happen. Until then, we could seek cheaper alternatives to the existing global internet marketing that could be targeted to local markets only. Local companies in Nepal will also need to upgrade themselves to cope with the global trends of internet marketing or develop cheaper mechanism for local SEO and internet marketing.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Say


Don't Say.
If you don't want to.
Don't Say.
If you don't have to.
But when it comes to saying,
Don't wait for the crowds.
Don't look for your circles.

Because.
After all -
Society is none but a part of you.
So.
Say.
When you want to say.
Say.
When you have to say.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ghandruk


Pictures of Ghandruk (also known as Ghandrung). It is one of the popular trekking routes of Nepal and also the route to Annapurna Trekking and Poon Hill.



Ghandruk Trekking
The view seen from the trekking route of Ghandruk. Ghandruk is considered as relatively easy trekking.




Ghandruk Ghandrung Donkeys Carrying Goods
Beyond the trekking points the best way of carrying goods are using donkeys, or ass. You can also find many porters carrying goods at their back.




A view of Annpurna Himalaya from Ghandruk
On a clear morning you can see the beautiful view of Annapurna range from Ghandruk, including Machapuchre. The view is even better from Poon Hill, but you have to do some extra trekking.




Goats fighting at a cliff in Ghandruk
Goats fighting over a cliff in the Ghandruk route. Amazing balance I have to say!




Typical Gurung Village in Ghandruk
A typical house in the Ghandrug Village. The majority of people are Gurung and you can find them in their traditional Gurung dress in Ghandruk.


Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Website Review - Political Parties Nepal


The theme for this month is

"Political Parties of Nepal"




Maoist Nepal

http://www.cpnm.org/ - Maoists nepal


The red website of Maoist Party in Nepal. The website was blocked during their underground days for over 10 years, when they were tagged as terrorist group by the then government. The maoists are now leading the Government of Nepal. But looks like their website is still an underground website from 10 years ago. Time for updates maybe.


Here's the link to the website of Maoists Nepal




Nepal Communist Party (UML)

http://www.cpnuml.org/ - Nepal Communist party


This is the best website among the political parties of Nepal. Regular news updates and a pleasant interface website. Too bad the feedback form page is under construction.


Here's the link to the website of Nepal Communist Pary (UML)




Nepali Congress

http://www.nepalicongress.org/ - Nepali Congress


Congress is the oldest party of Nepal and the site looks quite old too. There are historic pictures gallery and the bulletins are from 2005.


Here's the link to the website of Nepali Congress Party




There are some 20+ political parties ruling the small country currently and 600+ people in the constituent assembly. But looks like most parties have no website and even the major parties have no updates to their sites. Seems like these people can't manage a website and definitely not managing the country at the moment.





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Sunday, September 28, 2008

Scarecrow


I try to smile
an ugly scarecrow laughs back at me
the more I try to smile
the louder and uglier is the scarecrow
now I realize
the ugliness is not just of the scarecrow
it is all within me

I am the scarecrow
who scares people away
and now the scarecrow
is scaring myself away
haven't I scared you off too
one day or another?

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Away


I try to steal you through the corners of my eyes
till they are so full of tears
that I can hold you no longer
and you slip somewhere away into my eyes

I try to feel you in the mirrors of my heart
till they hurt so much
that I can feel no longer
and you slip somewhere away into my heart

I try to find you in the parts of my life
till you move so far apart
that I find you no longer
and you slip somewhere away into my life

Friday, August 29, 2008

Website Review - Online Forums Nepal


The theme for this month is

"Nepali Forums / Discussion boards"




Nepalnews Forum

Nepal news Forum - mazzako forum - www.forum.mazzako.com


Nepalnews forum, also known as mazzako forum is the most popular online forum in Nepal. It is part of the mazzako.com from Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd, which also manages the popular news site nepalnews.com.np. The forum has frequent postings in most of the topics. There are quite a few topics to choose from - news, teen talks, culture shocks, arts, career and humor among others They have a popular chatroom as well called mazzako chat.


Pretty well managed forum I would say. Visit the mazzako forum.




Sajha Kurakani

Sajha Kurakani - Nepali talk forum - www.sajha.com


Sajha.com is a popular online community among Nepalese abroad, especially in USA. The Sajha Kurakani forum is not traditional looking discussion board, but you can post from the "Post New Subject" link at the top. The kurakani is the general topic section where you are likely to come across random topics being talked about, from immigration to Nepali community to computer troubleshooting to just junk messages.


Sajha.com has other forums as well under other discussions, such as useful websites, resources, literature, humor, immigration, lost friends and so on, that are also accessible directly from homepage. But personally I find the Sajha.com forum to be a big mess and difficult to browse. The kurakani forum is not easy to search either. Time for managing the website maybe.




There are a few other popular online forums in Nepal as well (based on the number of registered members and forum posting frequency), such as the Hits FM forum and few other private organization forum and college/university forums and alumni discussion boards.





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Sunday, August 24, 2008

Nepali anthem best in the world


Nepal now has among the 10 best national anthems of the world (according to Guardian magazine). Finally Nepalese bag something in Beijing Olympics! The new Nepali national anthem is among the best chosen from the 205 countries. Congratulations to the new Nepali national anthem. Too bad the players couldn't do any proud (medal wise) to the nation this time either.


I also hear that the maoist leader / current prime minister of Nepal has gone to participate in Beijing Olympics 2008 closing ceremony. Lets see what prize he wins or what records he breaks this time around.


Meanwhile we could as well sing along to the new national anthem of Nepal, just over a year old..



Hundred of flowers one garland of Nepalese,
Sovereign and spread out from Mechi to Mahakali;

A collection of millions of nature's heritage
Independent and intact due to the courage of our braves

Land of knowledge and peace - Terai, mountains and Hills
Undivided beloved motherland Nepal of ours

Diversities in races, languages, religions and cultures
A progressive nation, long long live Nepal



Written by Byakul Maila, Compoision by Amber Gurung



Hopefully I got the translation correct

Monday, July 28, 2008

Website Review - Television Channels in Nepal


The theme for this month is

"Television (TV) Channels in Nepal"




Nepal Television

www.nepaltelevision.com.np


The national television of Nepal that now broadcasts 24 hours. But looking at the current website, the station probably looks like a one from the dinosaur ages. Seems all downhill for this state owned TV, with big competitors leading in news and entertainment, and the Nepal TV website doesn't have anything to boast about either. Its sister television NTV 2 Metro doesn't even have a website yet.


Yup! Time for update guys.




Avenues Television

http://www.avenues.tv/


A relatively new news channel just over a year old that now broadcasts 24 hours. Avenues TV is currently a pay TV, available through cable operators. Currently this is probably the most popular news channel. Even its newly launched website has good and up to date content. Though not fancy website, the categories are well organized. The news ticker and video section are good. You can register and post your contents through the site as well.


One thing though. Site is in Nepali only. Would like to see an English section too.




Channel Nepal

http://www.channelnepal.com


This channel is more entertainment oriented. Music videos are probably the best part of Channel Nepal. The website has a few downloadable videos and program promos, and a simple news scroller as well, but there's nothing else worth noticing in the website.




Image Channels

http://www.imagechannels.com


Part of Image Group of companies, this is a relatively old & popular TV station that now broadcasts 24 hours. It has mixed sort of programs, from news to entertainment and informational. The website though has nothing special and updated except the news ticker.




Kantipur TV

Part of Kantipur Publications, this is another popular TV station that is broadcasted 24 hours. It also has mixed sort of programs, the news & talk shows being the most popular. The website is under construction for ages.




Other Nepali Television stations currently broadcasted are Sagarmatha Television, which is also a 24 hour news oriented channel. There is also Nepal1 TV that I think is broadcasted from India. While TV is supposed to be advanced form to the radio, the FM stations of Nepal have a lot better websites than Television stations of Nepal.





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Thursday, July 24, 2008

Don't write this in your CV


I was going through the CV (curriculum vitae) for computer related works in the office. And to my surprise and horror, I find some applications which have no clue what they are applying for. When asked for experienced employees, I don't see why new comers would want to apply. There are places where fresher or interns can apply, but if the employer says experienced 3+ years, they mean people who have worked about that many years, not someone who has participated in debate in college but yet to work in professional level. And even the people who have worked come up with unprofessional resumes at times. Here were some common errors.



Parent Names


Ok. Seriously what were you thinking? I am trying to interview you, not your parents. I just wished that your name and address are clear and easily visible. So next time, please don't bother writing your father or mother's name in your resume, unless the employer asks you to.



Generic Hobbies


I personally find generic hobbies a big turnoff. I mean if I am looking for a person to do the computer jobs, I see no point in mentioning hobbies like swimming, singing, or listening to music. They would probably count if you were applying for Miss Nepal, Mr. talented, or something like that but not when applying for a job in an office. If you mean to say you can't work without loud music by Britney Spears at full volume, then its ok (just don't expect to be selected after writing that!), else please mention interests that are related to the work only.



Funny Email


Mail me at thisisurspuercoolfren2008to2050@waytoocool.com or princesfamilierhell997@email.com! Ok. I wouldn't mind hearing the 'cool story' behind how and why you took such email address after you are selected to work here. But till then, why don't you just use an email that shows it is you and not some freak that the employer is dealing with. There are so many free email services. Why don't you just use one to show off your real name?





Always keep your CV simple and to the point. If you have a two paged or longer resume, make sure you have something worth reading for the employer.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Got Your Firefox 3 Download Certificate?


Did you download Firefox 3, the best web browser till date, on 17th of June 2008? Good. You helped setting the Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. They claim 8,002,530 downloads on that single day! That's an amazing number considering the server was down so much on that day.

And now, haven't you got your record certificate yet? Don't worry. You needn't have downloaded Firefox on that day to get the certificate. Its just a certificate with your name in it. I downloaded on that day. But you can get a certificate anyway even if you didn't! Get Your Firefox 3 download certificate Now!

This is what the certificate looks like

Firefox 3 download certificate

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Google Analytics bad at determining Connection Speeds


If you haven't tried Google Analytics yet, you must try it. It is a cool and easy way to find your website or blog stats. The basic version is free to use. You can track details about your visitors using this tool.

However I wanted to find about the details of my visitors' connection speed to see how much of them are using slower connections like dial up. But turns out that Google Analytics (ga.js) does a really bad job at this. This is what the results showed about the connection speed of my visitors.

Nepal sites blog visitor connection speeds

The percentage of visitors using unknown connection speeds is over 53%. So I can't be sure about what type of connection is being used by more than half of my overall visitors. Obviously I can't depend upon Google Analytics only if I am targeting my website for visitors with high connection speed.




Other statistics from the Google Analytics are useful though. Such as if you are the webmaster, you may want to check the browsers that your visitors are using. You don't want your website to look different for users using different browsers. The most popular browsers based on current popularity are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari.

Nepal sites blog visitor browser




The Google Analytics also shows you which countries or regions your visitors come from. You can see more details like which cities the visitors are coming from. Most of my visitors come from Nepal and United States. The following shows the top 10 countries from where the visitors are coming to my blog.

Nepal sites blog visitor countries




The number of visitors have not been shown in the above stats. Only the percentages are shown. The Google Analytics however shows all details like total number of visitors to your website or blog, where they are coming from, what they are clicking and so on. And if you are Search Engine conscious, there are finer details that you can use based upon your results. You can try them yourself by using Google Analytics.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Thorn


Have you ever thought it would hurt the thorn when you say that it is so rude? Just like when you are pricked by a thorn. You praise the rose that blooms momentarily - have you ever praised the thorn? The rose doesn't fight difficulties - just a little cold or a thunder and it gives up. Something it doesn't like and it falls apart. Ask the thorn of the pain during those moments - the heat, the thunders - oh!

But the thorn doesn't give up. It stands for its flowers, for its territory. What obedience! Rose is just a moment of youth - an infatuation perhaps. But you fall for it... You pick the rose, but hesitate to touch the thorns. You'll find the thorns in the path of your life many times - what will you do then? Run away? Won't you touch the thorns?

You should have learned from the thorns - the determination, the patience, the responsibility. Instead, you pluck the fruits for your Gods, give flowers to your lovers...never think about the thorn.

How unfair! The thorn working all life for its territory just gets curses from you, while the rose gets all your attention. You complain on the thorn pricking. It is just doing its duty! Else animals would ruin the roses. Have you seen the existence of rose without thorn? The thorn waits all year long for the rose to come. But the rose just slides into some comfortable hands as it blooms - how selfish!

Who likes it when someone takes away their assets? The thorn tries desperately to protect the rose. Sometimes, somebody manages to take away the rose anyway, but the thorn won't give up till its death. People see "Helen" in roses. But I see the patriots and the bravehearts on thorns. I wonder what you see...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Website Review - Business Directory Nepal


The theme for this month is

"Business Directories (Yellow Pages) of Nepal"




Connection Yellow Pages

www.nepalpages.com


The oldest yellow pages directory of Nepal, started in 1991. On the website you can search the directory from search box, alphabetical listing and popular categories.


I personally found their advertisements to be more highlighted and the main directory less highlighted. Even the fonts are so small. And the add listing link is not easily viewable either.




Nepal Home Page Yellopages

http://www.nepalhomepage.com/yellowpages/


Another popular yellow page directory of Nepal. The homepage makes you feel there are lots of listings here than in other directories. The directory is simple and effective - there are lots of categories you can choose from right at the homepage (along with number of listings under that category). A click on the category takes you to the sub category page, from where you can choose your listing. The listings are shown in table form, from which you can select the desired company for more details.


There is also a search box at the botton, though not so prominent. Also the add edit link is not easily visible. Other useful links at sidebar are also nicely highlighted. One thing missing perhaps is browse alphabetically or other methods of browsing.




Nepal Yellow Pages Business Directory

www.ypofnepal.com/


Probably the simplest yellow page directory. There's a big search button at the front page, as well as an advanced search option, based on city name, address etc. Then there browsing option by categories, which take you to sub categories page and then the individual listing. Couldn't be more easier and to the point.


Another interesting function for this directory is the membership. The site uses lot of AJAX like fancy technologies, which make the site browsing easy and fun. Once being member there are other functions like bookmark individual listing for further use. You can also select the listings directly from the Classification Index page. And getting listed is quite easy as well. You can even manage your own gallery and profiles. Pretty cool site from yoolk I must say. The site even has a yellow color theme for yellow pages. Just that the spelling of "yolk" is incorrectly mentioned as "yoolk". How lame!





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Friday, June 20, 2008

Pokhara


Pictures of Pokhara taken some time ago. Pokhara, beautiful as always and less polluted than Kathmandu valley. Places to see in Pokhara include Fewa Lake, Sarangkot, World Peace Pagoda, Bat Cave, Begnas Lake (the largest lake in Pokhara), Devi's Fall among several other wonderful places.



Pokhara Sky and Peace Pagoda
A morning view of Pokhara Sky as seen from a Lake Side hotel. On the background, the World Peace Pagoda can be seen. The World Peace Pagoda in Pokhara holds a giant statue of Buddha.




Devis Fall
Devis Fall (also known as Devi's Fall or David's Fall or Devin's Fall or "Patale Chhango") is an attractive waterfall in Pokhara that runs through the "Gupteshowr Mahadev Cave". The water can rise quite high on rainy seasons.




Bat Cave
Considered to be the most difficult cave to pass through, Bat Cave (or "Chamero Gufa") is so called due to the huge number of bats present inside the cave.




Fewa Lake
The most popular of the lakes in Pokhara, Fewa Lake (also known as Phewa Lake or Fewataal) also holds the temple in the middle of the lake named "TaalBarahi". On a clear day, the Annapurna range and Machapuchre are visible from this lake. One can also climb to the World Peace Pagoda after a short boating in Fewa Lake. The place around Fewa lake is popularly known as Lake Side where there are lots of hotels or guest house to stay in. The Lakeside is the most attractive destination for tourists in Pokhara.




Fewa Lake Pokhara as seen from top
The World Peace Pagoda is a short distance upwards from the base of Fewa Lake. On the route you can see this beautiful view of the Fewa Lake and the Annapurna range.


Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Fool's Prayer


The royal feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: Sir Fool,
Kneel now, and make for us a prayer!

The jester doffed his cap and bells,
And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore.

He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the monarch's silken stool;
His pleading voice arose: 'O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!'

The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low,
'Be merciful to me, a fool!'



- Edward Rowland Sill, 1868




I read this prayer on the novel "Gump & Co." by Winston Groom. With the last king of Nepal kicked out of the "Narayanhiti" Palace, I thought the poem made some sense. Anyway, the novel is a humorous sequel to the famous novel "Forrest Gump" by the same writer, which was even made into the movie "Forrest Gump" in 1994. The movie went on to become the biggest movie of that year as suggested by Oscars. I thought it was bit unfair to the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", released on the same year, which I believe is a must watch movie for anyone. Incidentally, the movie Shawshank Redemption currently ranks at number 2 in the IMDB top 250 movies of all times (right after the movie "The Godfather"). The Shawshank Redemption is an inspiring movie about friendship and hope, played by characters like Tim Robins and Morgan Freeman, in seemingly desperate times of life imprisonment in a notorious jail. I believe the concept of hope is applicable to anyone, anywhere.



Well we are drifting too much off topic here. Back to the Fool's Prayer. But then again, there's not much to talk about the fool; except perhaps that one should/could learn from their mistakes.

Friday, May 16, 2008

How to Make New Nepal


Here are a few suggestions on how to make new Nepal.



1) If you are in front of computer right now, find and replace all the words "Nepal" with "New Nepal" (or "NewNepal" or "New-Nepal" or "nu Nepal" or even "knew Nepal"). For best results, it is recommended to use an open source software such as OpenOffice. As always, backup previous data.



2) If you are into design and arts, use your favorite image editor such as Photoshop or Gimp to select Nepal from the world map. Nepal is small, so be careful, especially at the borders when selecting. Now you can paste it anywhere in the world map. Or even better, open a new file and paste Nepal there. Save it as "New Nepal" and there you have it.



3) If you are into science and chemistry stuff, you should have no problem with the next one. Initially we had Ne-P-Al. These are nothing but atomic symbols of Neon (Ne), Phosphorus (P), and Aluminum (Al) respectively. Now we will slowly add "N-E-W" to our "Ne-P-Al". Again the "N-E-W" are the atomic symbols of Nitrogen (N), Einsteinium (E), and Tungsten (W). Some of these elements are hyperactive or even radioactive. Adult supervision is needed for children. Also these experiments tend to be unpredictable and hence not advisable for very senior citizens either. Stories of successful experiments have been reported to produce new Nepal this way.



4) If you are into programming, let's say Java or C++ programming, the "new" function already exists. Just like you can create new instance of current date with the function new Date(); you can try to create new instance of current Nepal with the function new Nepal(); this method is recommended for programming gurus only since the new Nepal thus created is known to have serious memory allocation issues.



5) Literally, new also means fresh. So we will learn the recipe on how to make a fresh Nepal. First take a slice of Nepal. Rinse thoroughly in clean water several times till it is free from all the dirt. Add some fresh garnishes or toppings onto the Nepal according to your flavor. Fresh Nepal is ready. Serve chilled.



6) Well if you want more, hopefully you can find them online. Use your favorite search engine such as Google or Yahoo to search for how to make new Nepal.




P.S (Not to be taken too seriously!)

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Website Review - FM stations in Nepal


The theme for this month is

"24/7 FM stations in Kathmandu, Nepal"




Hits FM 91.2 MHz

www.histfm.com.np


Hits FM is one of the oldest FM stations of Nepal. It is especially recognized for pioneering in music awards in Nepal with the Annual Hits FM Awards. The station is accessible 24/7 online over the Internet as well. The website has quite a busy forum too at www.hitsfm.com.np/forum. Currently, the station is broadcasted in the capital Kathmandu only.




Kantipur FM 96.1 MHz

www.kfm961.com


Kantipur FM is another very popular FM station of Nepal. The station is broadcasted to a wide range of audience all over Nepal. With its sister associates as Kantipur Publications, Kantipur Online and Kantipur TV, obviously Kantipur is a powerful brand in Nepal.




Image FM 97.9 MHz

Image FM is also one of the older FM station in Nepal. It is part of the Image Group of Companies and broadcasted to any corners of the country, along with the TV Image Channel. So Image FM has a very large audience from all over Nepal. Image FM also runs its annual music awards in Nepal.




BBC Radio Service 103 MHz

BBC Radio is a part of the BBC World Service in Nepal. Along with the normal BBC programs, BBC Radio in Nepal also features 45 minutes of Nepali programs starting from 8:45 PM NST or Nepal Standard Time (NST = GMT + 05:45). These programs include news, talk shows to drama shows which are produced here in Nepal and broadcasted from within the capital, Kathmandu.




Nepal FM 91.8 MHz

Nepal FM is the latest in the list to be broadcasted 24 hours a day.




Headlines and Music FM 97.2 MHz

Headlines and Music FM is also a relatively new FM station in Nepal. Currently as the name suggests, the FM plays just continuous music followed by brief news every hour.




Some other FM stations broadcasted in Kathmandu (that I am aware of) that are not yet 24/7 are Radio Upatyaka 87.6 MHz ("Radio Valley"), Radio Mirmire 89.4 MHz ("Radio Dawn"), FM Ujyalo 90 MHz ("FM Light"), Times FM 90.6 MHz, Capital FM 92.4 MHz, Gorkha FM 93 MHz, HBC FM 94 MHz (Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation), Metro FM 94.6 MHz, Star FM 95.2 MHz, Voice of Youth FM 96.8 MHz, Keeps FM 98.3 MHz, Radio City 98.8 MHz, Maitri FM 99.4 MHz ("Friendship FM"), Radio Nepal 100 MHz, ABC Radio FM 100.6 MHz, Classic FM 101.2 MHz, Radio Filmi FM 101.8 MHz, Radio Sagarmatha FM 102.4 MHz ("Radio Everest"), FM Paryawaran Chakra 104.2 MHz ("FM Conservation Circle"), FM Adhyatma Jyoti 104.8 MHz ("FM Meditation Light"), Good News FM Radio 105.1 MHz, CJMC F.M 106 MHZ, Radio Audio 106.3 MHz


Quite a long list there! The number of registered FM stations are still increasing in Nepal, so the list will only get longer.





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Thursday, April 10, 2008

Web Plagiarism


I was going through this website copyscape, which shows the duplicate contents of a website. When I searched for my blog http://nepalsites.blogspot.com I was surprised to see results from other websites with duplicate contents.



It may be alright if you use someone else's content and credit the original author for it, or express your views on that content, but to use someone else's content and take credits for it yourself - is just web plagiarism or cheating. I don't see how duplicating someone else's work can be acceptable in any part of the world. You don't need laws to tell you that piracy is illegal. Web piracy is unacceptable. Simple as that.



No web plagiarism please!

Saturday, April 05, 2008

The Rain Song


And the rains descended last night
some through the open windows
others through the closed doors
one by one
came those intruders of heart

and the rains danced
while the thunders cheered along
in perfect harmony at times
and patiently I listened
each of those chimes

asked I -
oh dear,
where have you been?
please come near.
smiled the rains -
come with us
and let's dance together

and the rains grew bigger
one by one
and sang their song
and i felt smaller
small as the raindrop
and so we danced
and danced all night long

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Website Review - Extreme Adventures


The theme for this month is

"Extreme Adventures in Nepal"



Skydive Everest

www.incredible-adventures.com


As scheduled on October 2008, there will be Mount Everest tandem skydiving for the very first time. Which means that a group of extreme adventure lovers will have a free fall around Everest and land on to the highest drop zone ever. They will be jumping from an altitude of about 29035 ft. to about 12350 ft. That's about 16683 ft. of free fall in the air past the highest peaks of the world! And they even plan to film it. Incredible Indeed!


For details Visit Incredible Adventures website.




Bungy Jumping

www.thelastresort.com.np


They say "If you don't succeed at the first attempt, then skydiving probably isn't for you". I haven't heard such thing for Bungy Jumping though. Bungy Jumping is considered one of the top things you must do do before you die. The Bungy Jump in Nepal is considered one of the best, if not the best in the world. The 160 meters jump in the gorge of "Bhote Koshi" river is one of the longest free fall in the world. Even I jumped there few years back and was quite out of the world experience, I must say.


For Bungy Jumping and other extreme adventures in Nepal visit website of The Last Resort





Want to feature your website or blog here too? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


Friday, March 14, 2008

Google PageRank - some myths and truths


PageRank (PR) is a trademark of the search engine Google. Basically, PageRank is an algorithm or formula that calculates the importance of a webpage based on the number of links linking to the page, and the PageRank of the linking pages themselves. The Google PageRank is based on a scale of 0 to 10. It is based on logarithmic scale - which means that getting higher PageRank needs significantly large number of backlinks (that is, pages linking to your page). Assuming 10 as the base of the logarithmic scale, you can get PageRank of 1 from 1 backlink, PageRank of 2 from 10 backlinks, PageRank of 3 from 100 backlinks and so on. So you will need 1,000,000,000 backlinks to get a PageRank 10. In practice however, the base is less than 10, and there are other factors too, so you won't need that many links. Some sites with PageRank perfect 10 are such as the home page of Google.com and Adobe.com


Mathematically, PageRank is an iterative or repeated process which determines the final PageRank. Also PageRank is updated continuously by Google so your PageRank of your webpage will change over time.


Let's look at some myths and truths about PageRank.




My website has PageRank 0, I will never get high rank in Google or Yahoo!

That is so wrong. PageRank is NOT the same as search ranking. Your website can rank on the top in search ranking for a search term but still have a PageRank 0. Getting a high PageRank does mean that your site has many backlinks, or that your site is considered important, but it doesn't mean your site will rank well for your target keyword. Sites with good content will have good results in search engines irrespective of the PageRank.


In fact the PageRank doesn't take in account of the keywords at all - it just makes calculation based on the number of backlinks and the PageRank of the backlinks. While PageRank is one of the factors used to determine the search results in Google, it is not the only one. You should be worried if your site is not listed at all, not if you don't have high PageRank.


Also, except Google, other search engines don't understand PageRank at all.



But it says page rank! isn't it the same as website rank?

Not really. Like said, it is a process of calculating importance of a page based on the number of backlinks or so called the "votes" for a page. Whereas ranking on the website is about being seen in search engines when someone searches for search terms (known as keywords). If you have a website related to selling coins, you want your site to appear on top when someone searches for "old coins", or "buy coins". As long as that happens, getting higher PageRank is a secondary subject.


It would be worth noting that PageRank was so termed because it was initiated by one of the founders of the Google - Larry Page. It could so easily have been termed LarryRank!



Isn't PageRank same for all pages in my site?

No. PageRank is based on calculation of value of each page in the world wide web. It is perfectly normal to have different PageRank for different page within the same site. In fact that is how PageRank works.


It is the part of the webmaster or the SEO analyst to organize the pages in the website to get the best results.



My Google toolbar shows a different PageRank!

Google toolbar shows an old value of PageRank rather than the live value. You might want to check PageRank in sites such as www.prchecker.info or http://livepr.ezer.com/ to find your current PageRank.


Also it should be noted that Google shows PageRank from the closest datacenter (server). So if you are checking PageRank from Germany, it may not be same as that from USA or Nepal. You can have different PageRank from different datacenter.



Can I increase my PageRank? How?

Of course you can! Since PageRank depends upon backlinks, the only way is to increase number of backlinks.


For that all you need to do is write good/useful content or articles and promote them. Organize your website. Get good traffic into your site. Submit to search engines and directories. Use social networking sites to spread words about your articles. As other site find your site useful and link to your site, you will get better PageRank. You can use link exchange with other related sites. But never use link reciprocals to get cheap or spam links to your site.



Will my PageRank decrease when I link to other site?

Your site's PageRank will not decrease directly by linking to other site. PageRank depends on backlinks and their PageRank. The outgoing links in your site don't affect PageRank of your site. It is the incoming links or the links to your site that contribute to your PageRank, not the outgoing.


As far as incoming links are concerned, internal linking to your own site also contribute to your site's PageRank. So you have to understand how to build and organize your internal linking well.


However, if you are linking to bad sites on bad purpose, you will be kicked out of the search engines altogether sooner or later. So if you have a good site, don't link to bad sites and check that you don't get linked from bad sites either.



What about PigeonRank? Is it important too?

Ok. This isn't a myth really. Just that Google comes up with something to fool their users every now and then during April Fool's day. On April 1st 2002, Google came up with this wacky idea called PigeonRank™ that was supposed to be the heart of Google's fast search algorithm!


Another April is coming near. So be prepared for surprises from Google!




The bottom line is that PageRank is a methood developed by Google that ranks a webpage based on the number of backlinks it has got. Getting high PageRank is very desirable for getting popularity, but it is not enough to ensure that your website will get listed or rank well for given keyword.


Monday, February 25, 2008

Website Review


I will be featuring website reviews related to various topics starting from this month. If you want your website or blog to be featured too, you can drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".


The theme for this month is

"Photographs of Nepal"



eyescoffee.com/nepal

www.eyescoffee.com


This site www.eyescoffee.com/nepal contains Black &White photography related to Nepal. The B&W nature of the photographs give them a nostalgic look. Some of the photos look like they are from centuries ago. Most of the images reflect the day to day life in many parts of the country. Such as that of children, animal sacrifice, and cremation.


In the words of the author, "EyesCoffee is not iced coffee. I also hope that it is not eyes candy, but something bitter, just like life."




photoblog.com.np

www.photoblog.com.np


This site www.photoblog.com.np contains mostly images of flowers and nature related to Nepal. Made on wordpress, it has an easy navigation ideal for photo browsing. The vistors can comment on the photos too.


The site doesn't have many photos yet, but the ones on the site are eyecatchy, and hopefully the authors will post more often.




maion.com/photography/nepal

www.maion.com


This site www.maion.com/photography/nepal has a wonderful collection of stock photography by the outdoor photographer Jef Maion. The site has many photographs related to trekking and the Himalayas, such as Shorong Himalaya, Lumding Himalaya, Khumbu Valley and Everest.


Absolutely fascinating photographs!





Want to feature your website or blog here? Drop a mail at nepalsites@gmail.com with some description about your website with the subject line "Website Review".




Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Fence


The white fence is gone
I saw today,
as I walked by the lane
the fence so bright and white
the fence we passed by each day
the fence is gone today


even yesterday,
the fence I saw still there
not white, not bright
just lying dirty there
waiting for someone near
but I wasn't there
and you weren't either


some other day,
I will see the memories again
of the fence so close
the fence bright and white
always behind us smiling
will you see too
the memories of our fence dying?